Opposing Force 2
by Jupiterrising2010
Summary: Corporal Shepard was never a good marine. Everyone under his command died eventually. He didn't even earn the rank of corporal. So watch as he's introduced to the combine, not made into a stalker, and interferes with Half-Life 2: Episode 3. rated T for swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Half-life 1, or 2. If I did, then this would be a lot more awesome.**

**Chapter 1: Say What?**

Corporal Adrian Shepard examined his surroundings. Black and electric-green. Did electric-green exist? He didn't know. It seemed like it. The Vortigaunt things had been firing green electricity back in Black Mesa.

He saw a tinge of blue, black, white in a strange formation. It was _Him_. Walking towards Shepard like he had all the time in the world. He probably did. He seemed to be able to control reality.

His figure came into clearer focus. He spoke, the syllables perfectly pronounced.

"Corporal Shepard. We meet again."

"Where am I?" The Corporal asked.

The man looked around. "Where would you... prefer to be?"

Shepard pretended to think. "How about... Being alive?"

"Very well." his vision changed but He stayed in it, unmoving, brushing off imaginary dust and straightening his tie at regular intervals. He was seeing a black tower behind a dark-blue screen. He was immediately reminded of the dark tower in _Lord Of The Rings_. The tower he was looking at was taller. _Much _taller, and it wasn't circular. Shepard was wondering where the big fiery eye was as well.

He narrowed his eyes at Him. "Have you been reading J.R.R. Tolkien?"

He carried on speaking as if Shepard hadn't said anything. "Corporal Shepard... many things have changed during your... sleep. When the bomb at Black Mesa detonated, it only... engorged the portal and created more over... populated areas."

More portals? Over populated areas? That must have created the apocalypse. Shepard couldn't think about the death toll.

"It was slow at first, but... quickened when the portals opened... fully and _they _came." he put emphasis on the word 'they' but not with hatred. More like 'I know something you don't'.

"Who?" Shepard asked, puzzled by this.

The image changed. Black-suited soldiers with futuristic weapons and futuristic gas masks were walking past in legions, tanks and futuristic APCs rolling past, strange bug-like helicopter things flying around, raining blue bullets around upon the buildings and civilians.

"Them."

It was horrible. They were massacring the Human race. He recognised the Vortigaunts attacking the aliens. Wait. Vortigaunts? He remembered them trying to murder him and everyone else at Black Mesa. Why attack other aliens?

"The Vortigaunts were... slaves of the Nihilanth." What? "And now, you and Mr. Freeman are... needed in the world." A green flash of electricity. "The transition from here to Earth may be quite... uncomfortable."

That was a monumental understatement. Whitish purple flashed across his vision leaving only a eye hole to look through, covered with purple haze. A massive headache throbbed repeatedly though his head.

He saw a courtyard playground, like those you saw in a small village outside of cities.

The purple faded, leaving Shepard with a headache that suspiciously felt like a hangover. He hoped it _was _a hangover, and he'd just got drunk and imagined Him and Black Mesa... But it was too vivid. And he didn't have an imagination as good as that. He sighed inwardly. He'd just have to live with it.

Speaking of living at that moment, one of the gunship things he'd seen in that vision-thing (massive deja vu) was flying towards him. It let out a long _shriek_ and fired those same high-powered bullets (not even gonna say deja vu... damn) flew in a line at him.

Faulty aiming? Shepard wasn't sure what that meant, but "run" was written all over every brainwave he had.

So he did that.

A bullet slammed into his back, but he still had his Marine uniform on, the vest taking the impact, so instead of dying, he was knocked off his feet. He instinctively rolled out of the way as more bullets slammed into the ground.

His hand went for the electricity gun instinctively, but hit the belt. He must have taken his weapons.

The gunship must have given up on him, because the shooting stopped, and it's continuing futuristic helicopter whining **(Yes, that's right. No matter how fancy our technology gets, helicopters make deafening noises that sound like Percy Weasley in the shower. Don't ask me how I know that. It's a strange story involving portal guns, a black hole, and the multiverse. In other words, it's complicated.) **faded. But something else that sounded more like a jet-plane came into existence.

Something came through into the open shed-thing. A black cylinder with green lasers coming out of both ends (the scan-type lasers) and as soon as one laser came in contact with Shepard's leg, smoke billowed out of both ends. The smoke somehow got through his gas-mask and he slipped into unconsciousness.

One thought crossed his mind in that time:

Oh shit.

**I had a quick argument with my body.**

**The kidneys said no,**

**the head said no,**

**but I said yes; bring on the beer!**

**Anyways, goodbye from HMS Columbia!**

***retires to HMS Columbia's gravity ring***


	2. ALERT CHAPTER

Attention,

There is a scheme brewing up with the FF staff and they're planning to take  
down any and every story over the M rated section (stories with yaoi, yuri,  
het lemons, song based stories, extreme violence, etc) ...

So on June 23rd, there will be an official Black Out. Authors will not log in,  
read, or review stories. Those who do not have accounts are also affected by  
FF's decisions too. Please participate and spread the news! If enough authors  
take part in this event, FF will know we mean business. Also, if anybody has  
any information on when this purging on M-rated fics will be please contact  
me. I would like to know in advance.

SPREAD THE WORD!

copy and pate this into your story updates, communities and forums, and  
message fellow authors. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3: I'm Screwed

**I'M ALIVE!**

**And I'm writing. Sorry I didn't update for a while there.**

**Anyway, ENJOY!**

**Chapter 2: How Stalkerish of you**

Shepard woke up again.

Complete White, and he was on a hospital bed He was instantly reminded of the matrix, or in Harry Potter 7 part 2 when Harry speaks to Dumbledore in a completely white place. He looked forward, and he saw Private Maxwell. He had died in the helicopter next to Shepard's before his crashed. He was working at a computer.

"Maxwell?" Shepard asked cautiously.

"Hey, Shepard." Maxwell said, saluting, in his London cockney accent.

"What are you doing here? You died in the crash before mine." That couldn't be Maxwell, then again, he was exactly as Shepard remembered him; cockney accent, smudge-of-dirt-like birthmark, orange eyes... wait, orange eyes?

"Not really." Maxwell's figure changed into one of the alien soldiers working at a futuristic console for a split second. "Sarge grabbed a couple of us and bailed out before the heli blew." His voice was alternating between a British cockney accent into a synthesized American accent.

Then it changed completely into an alien soldier working at a console. It let out an audible "Shit!". Shepard was in a virtual world. The soldier came at him, brandishing a fist. He thought whether this was that weird limbo place in Harry Potter or the Matrix... He settled on Matrix and tried to give himself a wrench. It came. He swung it at the soldier and hit him right in the face. The soldier rolled away and swung at him again. Shepard swiped the wrench from the right to the left. But the soldier was ready. He ducked and punched Shepard in the stomach. Shepard flew backwards and into a non-existent wall. The wrench skittered away and the soldier came at him. Shepard moved his head out of the way of the punch and the fist shattered the spotless white wall.

Shepard sprinted to the console, hoping there would be something to get him out of this half-assed matrix world. Sure enough, there was a big red button (he wasn't sure what was with those scientists, leaving big orange buttons all around Black Mesa). He took a chance and pushed the button.

The world shimmered and shattered and his vision switched. He was in a bathroom-like cubicle made of black metal. A console was in front of him but instead of an alien soldier there was a pale... thing, with a skeletal form, a black visor and instead of lower legs, metal limbs. It was horrible. Like something out of Left 4 Dead (and he had first hand experience of that. Damn 5 year old cousin...!).

It raised it's head to face Shepard and..._ X-men_ suddenly transferred into the world.

Serious. A red beam streamed out of the visor and went for Shepard.

At exactly the same moment, clamps released him and Shepard dived out of the way, and the red beam hit the empty black headrest.

"_You! maggot! Use the whole arm, draw it back and thrust! and get your thumb out of the fist! You won't do very well in the army with a broken thumb, dirtbag!"_

Shepard wasn't sure why this particular memory occurred to him, but he used the old advice and punched the pale thing right in it's ugly visor so hard it flew right off, revealing, instead of eyes, two empty sockets filled with blood. Shepard nearly vomited. But then his stomach realized it hadn't eaten anything and decided to cramp up in hunger instead, as if it was angry at the eyes for seeing the bloody mass. Shouldn't he have been needing _not _to want to eat _instead_?

He _really_ need to eat. Surely these guys kept food somewhere, unless they were _all_ like that Cyclops (_X-men_...Cyclops? Get it?... Never mind). *shudder*

He walked on through an open, you guessed it!, black door with a swirling peek-line on it.

So, Shepard had almost been killed, had been kidnapped, put into a virtual world, gotten out of it pretty quickly, punched a _Left 4 Dead_ thing that looked like it had had bionic surgery, and seen a bloody mass which seemed to make his stomach defy the laws of seeing-something-really-horrible-should-make-you-not-want-to-eat.

And to top it off, he didn't know where he was.

…

He was _so_ screwed.

**YAY! I didn't think I was going to update! But it did. *happy face***

**How's this for irony, this is based on a game by Valve, and in this chapter, I'm referencing another game by the same company! (Probably not very ironic)**

**Did you know, actually, that Left 4 Dead (the game that I was referencing) was originally developed by Turtle Rock Studios as a co-operative multiplayer action game, then the company was purchased by Valve Corporation? Valve took control of Left 4 Dead's development from then on.**

**Turtle Rock Studios also helped develop Valve Corporation's Counter-Strike.**

**Also, I listened to Approaching Nirvana while writing this. Best. Music. Ever!**

**I would give you a link but hates those.**

**And you probably already know about it so why am I saying I'd give you a link? Meh! Whatever!**

**Anyways, goodbye from HMS Columbia!**

***retires to HMS Columbia's gravity ring***


End file.
